The day I took this photograph was one of those dark and misty December days in the Puget Sound region where I live. I had spent the morning looking in vain for inspiration, but good subjects were as scarce as sunlight. Imagine my delight, then, in finding this abandoned apple tree bearing its colorful fruit. I respond to the image in two ways: there is a certain sadness in the neglected harvest; at the same time, the bright red apples defy melancholy and seem to me almost like wild Christmas ornaments. The red and gray color combination is elegant, and I like the misty gray background texture made by distant trees.

Lee Rentz